Whisky: Amrut 7 Year (2014) for Truth Malters

Country/Region: India

ABV: 60%

Cask: PX Sherry

Age: 7 Year (Distilled June 2014, Bottled Aug. 2021)

Nose: Fruit, cola, and spice. A fruity bouquet of strawberry, mango, and plum opened with hints of licorice, cinnamon, pickled ginger, and toasted coconut. Rich with layers of fruit and spice, a subtle balsamic hid behind a layer of cola and ginger studded with hints of mint, earth, and star anise.

Palate: Medium-bodied and viscous with fruit, spice, and chocolate. Toasted coconut and cola led the way to a fruity melange of strawberry, blood orange, and mango. A lovely blanket of spice covered the palate with licorice, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and star anise. Toward the finish: chocolate, hazelnut, quince, and a tingling effervescence.

Finish: A lingering oily and salty drying sweet spice.

Score: 8

Mental Image: Mocktail and Cake Bar

Notes: More than a few years back, Pepsi had a line of colas made with natural kola nut. I loved that drink; it was richer and dryer than a typical soda sugar bomb (though there was plenty of sugar). I had not thought about the soda in a while, but this dram had me daydreaming about a cocktail of ginger kola nut soda, agricole rum, and angostura bitters. Beyond the cola, the whisky had a fabulous layer of rich spice and juicy fruits. There was so much going on, and I loved picking through the dram with our local whisky group during a blind peat tasting.

Distilled with lightly peated barley and aged for a long seven years in the Indian heat, I was surprised at the restrained wood influence. There was no harsh tannic bite, and the spice generally sat behind a layer of fruit and chocolate. It was remarkably well-balanced for its age and certainly one of the best Amrut I have had this year.

I was not the only one to enjoy this bottle; it received many votes for best of the evening and ultimately came in second behind the 25 Year Peat’s Beast. Most of the tasters had never tried Amrut before, so this was a cracking introduction to the distillery.